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US joins Fla. abortion clinic fire inquiry

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

January 03, 2012

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Federal investigators plan to join the investigation of a suspicious fire at a Florida Panhandle abortion clinic that has been the site of deadly violence in the past, officials said yesterday.

The fire early Sunday at American Family Planning in Pensacola largely destroyed the two-story building, said Lieutenant Kevin Fiedore of the state fire marshal’s office. No one was injured.

The fire began in dry vegetation outside of the building, which is surrounded by oak trees. The blaze burned underneath the building, up its sides, and into its attic, collapsing the second floor ceiling, Fiedore said.

What sparked the blaze remains unknown. The clinic’s alarm company alerted authorities to the fire, which had been concealed from view by heavy fog.

“It burned for a prolonged period of time,’’ Fiedore said. “It was a very foggy night and the smoke blended in well with the fog.’’ Fire Battalion Chief Steve Peake said the clinic was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived just after 1 a.m. Sunday.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives planned to join state and local investigators today, Fiedore said. So far, there are no suspects. “We have not ruled out anything at this time,’’ he said.

The clinic, formerly known as the Ladies Center and as Community Healthcare, was bombed in 1984. In 1994, a doctor and a volunteer who escorted patients were shot to death as they arrived. The gunman, Paul Hill, was executed in 2003.

Fiedore said the clinic had not reported any threats or criminal activity recently. The clinic pays for off-duty Pensacola police officers to provide security.